Questions for October 7, 2005
Q&A Archive

1
Obviously clones have been extremely hot items this year. There have been many repaints of them and reissued figures with different names and accessories. My question is that since the clones have been doing so well, what is the chance of Hasbro developing the different clone variants (I.e. Gree's troops and Bacara's battalion) in the future? I'm not even going to touch on Commander Cody because everyone wants him and I'm sure we will see him (hopefully) within the next year.

My next question is; what is the chance of seeing a V-Wing fighter for the 3 3/4 inch line? Or even perhaps Grievous' fighter?

And why doesn't Hasbro make most of their figures super articulated much like the Obi-Wan pilot figure? I love figures like that because there is no limit to what you can do with them, and I'm sure many share my optimism on the subject... I sure would like to see an Anakin pilot of the same proportions of the aforementioned Obi-Wan figure.

I think the chances are good that we'll eventually see versions of both Gree's and Bacara's troops in the line. Both styles are based on designs similar to those found in the Original Trilogy (Scout and Snow Troopers) and as such should be simple for Hasbro to pull off. For my money, I'd like to see Hasbro come up with Super Articulated versions of each basic body style and release them with the necessary modification for both trilogies. Time will tell…

According to Hasbro the chances are slim to none. Without another movie to support the line there just doesn't seem to be much hope for new vehicles. Hasbro made it rather clear this year that they have no plans for new vehicles from any of the movies, and any vehicles we do see from this point on will most likely be repaints or retooled versions of previously released toys. Obviously this doesn't make fans very happy, but until someone like Sideshow comes along to take over this portion of the line it doesn't look like there's a whole lot we can do about it.

More articulation typically translates into higher production cost. Hasbro has been somewhat selective when it comes to the type of articulation we saw on the Obi-Wan pilot (#55) and Clone Trooper (#41) figures, but at least those figures show they are willing to go to that level in the basic line. Prior to those figures this level was pretty much limited to the Vintage Original Trilogy Collection (VOTC) line. I would hope that Hasbro could continue this trend with 'select' figures, but I would not expect to see them apply it to every, or even most figures. It's fair to say main characters and trooper figures lend themselves better to this type or articulation, at the rate of two or three a year, plus a few Evolutions sets, we should see all the major characters covered in time.


2
I have yet to receive my Early Bird figures and I know at least one person who sent in his form after me and received his figures more than a week ago. Should I be worried that my form got lost in the mails? Is there some way to check that I will eventually get my set? -Art T


I have heard that people are getting their [Early Bird] figures already and I have yet to see mine. Any idea when everyone will be getting theirs? I was too young to get this as a kid so I am now getting a second chance as an adult collector. -Jason (Saint Cloud, MN)


I hear the Early Bird kits are showing up in peoples' mail, but I haven't seen mine yet. As a paranoid person, I have two hypothetical questions for you: 1.When should I start worrying? 2.What should I do if mine doesn't come? A "what I'd do" answer is all I'm looking for here


I have ordered my Early Bird sets in April. I have been hearing word of them hitting for a few weeks now. I have not gotten mine yet. Is there a way for me to contact Hasbro in regards to this matter? cj

No need to panic just yet, the Early Bird figures have just started to show up but should ship for at least the next couple months. There is no rhyme or reason to whom gets their figures first, whether you sent your certificate in April or August your figures could show up at any time. According to the offer, figures will continue to ship up until December 31, 2005. There is currently no way to check if your coupon was received or not, but if your EB figures do not show up by the middle of January, you may want to send a letter to the same address you sent your certificate to. With your letter you'll want to include a copy of the Early Bird Certificate stub, showing the date the coupon was originally mailed. As the redemption offer is being handled by a clearing house, contacting Hasbro probably won't get you anywhere. So for now sit tight, keep your fingers crossed, and keep watching the mail.


3
I am new the collecting of the Master Replica's Force F/X lightsaber line and I have some questions concerning them. Why has the security been so tight surrounding the new Luke LED version? You'd think we would have seen a leaked image months ago or at least recently with the retailers having them in the warehouse recently. Also what is the status of the Obi-Wan FX saber? I am hoping for an AOTC Hilt rather then a ROTS version because of the fat neck issue which is likely to remain unresolved. Any update on the Double bladed Maul? Michael Dodd

I wouldn't say it's as much a security issue as it is a 'nothing's visibly changed' issue. The basic design is the same as the previous version, which we have plenty of pictures of. What's new this time around is all inside, not the type of thing that photographs well. There have been a few reviews, everything sounds good so far, if you're interested I highly suggest you bookmark the MR Blog and follow the F/X updates. As far as I know there's been no news on the Obi-Wan F/X. I agree an AOTC version would be better looking, but I'd be equally interested in seeing an Episode III version and distressed Episode IV version. There is a Maul version in the works, you will have the option of buying two and connecting them to create the full double blade version, but no release date has been announced. Again, follow the news here or keep checking the MR Blog and you should be up to date with all the F/X news.


4
Do you think Hasbro will release a figure based on George Lucas Cameo appearance in ROTS? We've seen it done with Jorg Sacul and I am sure I would not be the only collector that would like this? -Chad

I asked this very question at Comic Con; based on their reply I don't think Hasbro will ever be allowed to make that figure. To get the figure made it has to be approved by LFL, and it doesn't appear that will happen. The Sacul figure was a rare occurrence; apparently Mr. Lucas is a little shy about being turned into an action figure and I guess he probably feels one is more than enough. Fans would love it, that's for sure, but it doesn't look like it's in the cards.


5
What has Hasbro done to Commander Gree?!?!?! I get that there can be little differences, such as a paint job being lighter than it should be (eg. Senate Guard) but this is a whole new level in incompetence. The figure shown at Comic Con was great, the colours were almost spot-on but the Gree that has just been added to your Archives is an abomination! I mean, he doesn't even look anything like Gree! Any chances we'll see Hasbro fix this?

On a similar note, it may have just been because of ambient lighting, but did Bly's Mustard colouring get lighter between Comic Con and the mass-produced figure?

Finally, what is with the 'missile-firing blaster' that Gree and the AT-RT Driver come with? Aside from looking horrible, can't Hasbro just include the far better standard blaster rifle? -Adam


So out of curiosity, do you think we'll see a corrected Commander Gree as a running change? The top of his helmet is clearly painted incorrectly...and even the figure for Comic-Con had the white bars on top right, do you think Hasbro will care enough at this point to fix this? I can't help but wonder, cause I almost hate to get Gree, open him, and then have a corrected, and better looking figure show up at a later time. -John

Occasionally we'll see slight differences in studio photography compared to flash photography taken at the shows. The Gree figure itself is actually closer to the color on the hand painted version shown in San Diego than it is in our Archive. As such I wouldn't expect to see any change. There is however, as John points out, what looks to be an error on Gree's helmet deco. Gree should have a couple of white stripes along the side of his hood (as seen at Comic Con and in the product photography), the figures that have been showing up so far have been missing this. We have an email onto Hasbro, but have not heard yet if this is something they plan to correct. Hopefully they will, or have already caught this, it turns out to be a pretty significant error when you look at the figure.

Bly - without the benefit of comparing the two side-by-side it's entirely possible the color has 'faded' somewhat compared to the version shown at Comic Con. Keep in mind though that that version was hand painted, the production version would understandably be slightly different. Still, the color looks close enough to me; unlike Gree's helmet error I have no complaints.

FIRING PROJECTILE! Yeah, it is a pretty lame accessory… Hasbro tries to add that little bit of play value by including these types of accessories; which I don't usually have a huge problem with. However, it would have been nice if they could have included a nicely sculpted non-firing weapon as well. Considering they have several great looking figures out there now with horrible accessories, I think the time is right for Hasbro to take a serious look at some new survival packs. Throw together a few battle based sets using existing weapons and gear and top them off with a couple new molds; Tarfful's long riffle, Neimoidian Guard blaster, etc, etc… I mean who doesn't like having extra weapons…?


6
I just saw a photo of the carded Wedge Antilles Internet exclusive action figure. How and when can I get my hands on one of these beauties? -Eric

The Wedge Antilles figure is available at most participating on-line retailers. You can order the figure from most of our sponsors, or order it from StarWarsShop and receive an exclusive Topps trading card as well.


7
Hey, Mark. How's this for strange? Last night I was in Wal-Mart and found two POTF2 action figures for sale! They were Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper Disguise and Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi, both MOMC and on green cards. They retailed for a buck each, for a grand total of only $2.12. What's up with that? Have you heard of really old figures just popping up in stores to be sold off for whatever they can get? -Lord Edzo, Imperious Leader

One of two things happened, that store found some old stock lying around, or someone returned them. Either way your Wal*Mart probably just threw a price on there and put them out. It's not something you see a lot of, but has been known to happen.


8
Do you know if Hasbro is planning to re-release the whole Wal*Mart line of Titanium Series next year to all retailers? Or they will just repaint some?

According to what we were told at Comic Con, Hasbro will most likely release those vehicles in 'other' forms before re-releasing them as the were in the Wal*Mart line. From that I suppose they could show up in 'Raw Metal' form, or repainted, or some other way.


9
What are the odds of getting a Jedi 3 pack like in the Clone Wars line? Am I the only one that needs dead Jedi lying around my dioramas with all my Clone Troopers? I need various "no name, different species" Jedi to fill the ranks and battle the Clones for my Jedi Temple diorama! -Order_66

Well, at this point it's not looking too good, I haven't seen anything that indicates the deluxe, ultra or action assortments will be back next year. Without one of those lines, I suppose the best we could hope for would be a Battle Pack with a few random/resculpted/repainted Jedi, but there's been no word on that either. There's probably not a vary good chance of this but what I'd like Hasbro to do is look at the possibility of a Jedi Army Builder with multiple hands and heads. Pack all the pieces in one basic figure or release them as running changes, but get something out there we can customize ourselves. I think a few figures with interchangeable parts would go a long way in helping fans round out their Jedi Temple or Geonosis Arena scenes.

10
I am excited about STAR WARS on TV, but really concerned when I hear that it may be based on the early adventures of Luke Skywalker. What could these possibly be? Luke was a young man on a moisture farm who longed for adventure, dreamed of joining the rebellion and seeing the universe. What came before that? Luke going to the Tatooine High School Prom? Luke gets a zit? Or is it earlier? Luke eats solid foods? Luke takes his first step? I am worried. Hopefully the Luke thing is just bait...Give us Young Boba Fett. Now that's a kid that had some adventure. Han Solo? I'm sure even R2-D2 had a more interesting childhood. I guess I did not ask a question...So, how you doing? -Skylurch

I'm doin' fine thanks… Yeah, with all the possibilities it does seem a bit odd to choose a young Luke as your central character. I'm much more in favor of the idea that we see Luke in Episode III as an infant being delivered to the Lars, and then not again until the beginning of A New Hope. Maybe Lucas has some wild ideas, but I just don't see the life of young Luke Skywalker carrying an entire television series. Now that you mention it there may be something to the thought that this Luke angle is just a diversion. For one thing it seems to have squashed any anticipation over the live action series.

Hopefully when push comes to shove Lucas and his team will sit down and give Star Wars fans what they would like. I think a series based on two surviving Jedi, a padawan and his master, making their way through a hostile Empire is far more intriguing than what young Luke is doing with this free time. Pick up where Revenge of the Sith leaves off, show us how truly terrible and corrupt the Sith Empire becomes, give us bounty hunters, and double crossers, dark Jedi, show us the birth of the Rebel Alliance… Make us despise what Emperor Palpatine has done with the galaxy so that when Luke says he hates the Empire in Episode IV we can all say; yeah, we do too. I think that's the television series fans are waiting for, we'll just have to wait and see if that's what ends up happening.


Until next time...


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